I’m curious to see if he corrects the record. I know he doesn’t want to, but there are enough righties calling him out for it on Twitter that he may have to in order to keep up the pretense that he’s a just-the-facts newsman ‘n stuff who made a good-faith mistake. Here’s his tweet.

Trump in Rose Garden speech paints asylum seekers with broad brush accusing them of misleading immigration authorities at border: “These are frivolous claims.”

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 16, 2019

Now here’s what Trump actually said, per his campaign’s Twitter account. See if you can figure out how Acosta might have misunderstood him in good faith.

You know there’s video proving you’re lying, right?

Trump: “Our nation has a proud history of affording protection to those fleeing government persecutions. Unfortunately, legitimate asylum seekers are being displaced by those lodging frivolous claims….My plan expedites relief” pic.twitter.com/Gvz93vZBh3

— Official Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 16, 2019

It’s the opposite of a “broad brush.” The point of that passage is that frivolous asylum claims need to be dispensed with quickly because meritorious claims do exist. The more bogus asylum applications there are clogging up the immigration system, the longer people who genuinely do need refuge from persecution are forced to wait. He references “legitimate asylum-seekers” not once but twice and ends by saying, “If you have a proper claim, you will quickly be admitted. If you don’t, you will promptly be returned home.” The way Acosta quotes him, you would think Trump was claiming there’s no such thing as a bona fide asylum application. If Acosta was intent on dinging him, he might have said that Trump’s policies sometimes make it seem as though he believes that. But POTUS surely didn’t say it here.

So where’d Jimbo get the idea that he did?

As I write this at 6:15 p.m. ET, he’s doubling down on Twitter. Here’s his latest:

Trump has repeatedly questioned the motives of asylum seekers at the border. Last month he described their claims as a “scam” and a “hoax.” https://t.co/6jxzfcdZ3a

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) May 16, 2019

The video he linked notes right there in the caption that Trump said “some” asylum seekers are hoaxers, which of course is true. Many immigrants seeking entry to the U.S. have taken to claiming asylum in lieu of crossing illegally, hoping for a favorable disposition of their application or at least catch-and-release within the United States while they appeal their rejection. Does Acosta believe all asylum applications are meritorious? Even if he does, his opinion should have no bearing on his ability to quote Trump accurately.

This clown show goes on because CNN enjoys the clowning. There’s no alternate explanation at this point for why they haven’t rotated in a more fair-minded reporter to the White House beat. Exit quotation via Frank Luntz: “This is why people call you #FakeNews, Jim.”